Favorite Breakfast Tacos

Back from Las Cruces, tanned and fed and carrying enough frozen green chile to last until June. Easter was everything I needed it to be. Hector smoked a brisket — I lobbied successfully, though he insisted on using his rub, which has been the same since 1987 and which I've been trying to reverse-engineer for years. He won't tell me what's in it. He'll take it to the grave as a power move. The man managed his diabetes for six years and kept his brisket rub secret for thirty. Respect where it's due.

Gloria's Good Friday posole was, as always, a spiritual experience. She makes it with dried hominy, pork neck bones from a specific carnecería in Las Cruces, and red chile that she grinds herself. The process takes two days. She begins it Thursday evening and I have no idea how she sustains the attention and energy for it at seventy-three, but she does it the same way every year without notes and without consulting anyone. The posole appeared on the table Friday at noon and we ate it in near-silence, which is the only way to properly honor something that took that much effort.

My sister Patricia came from El Paso with her husband Gilbert. My brother Miguel was there with his family. The kids — all of the cousins together — turned the backyard into a demolition derby. The twins paired off with Miguel's youngest two and formed what appeared to be an alliance with unclear goals. I'm still suspicious.

Ruben called Saturday. He's in a quiet rotation, he said. We talked about football and Easter food and his son Alejandro, who is two and apparently said "ball" last week, which Ruben announced with the pride of a man who's coached nothing but a toddler. I told him Alejandro had good instincts. Ruben laughed.

Back in Denver now, back in practice, back to the daily machinery of coaching and parenting. The freezer is full. The house smells like the drive home, which always involves one of those chile bags opening somewhere in the car. Lisa says she doesn't mind the smell anymore. After twelve years together, she has genuinely stopped minding. That's love.

Back in Denver, back to early mornings and practice schedules, I keep reaching for that frozen green chile — partly because it’s there, and partly because cracking one of those bags open in the kitchen is the fastest way I know to feel like I’m still at the table with Gloria and Hector. These breakfast tacos have become my Monday-morning reset: simple enough to make before the twins wake up, but with enough going on that they feel like something. A little of that Las Cruces heat folded into eggs and warm tortillas goes a long way when you’re 600 miles from the people you love.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4 (2 tacos each)

Ingredients

8 small flour or corn tortillas (6-inch)
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup roasted green chile, chopped (frozen and thawed works perfectly)
3/4 cup cooked breakfast sausage or chorizo, crumbled
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 cup white onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Hot sauce or salsa, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

Warm the tortillas. Heat a dry skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Warm each tortilla for 30 to 45 seconds per side until softened and lightly charred. Stack them under a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
Cook the sausage. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the crumbled sausage or chorizo until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Drain excess fat from the pan, leaving just a light coating.
Soften the onion and chile. Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. Add the chopped green chile and stir to combine. Cook another minute until heated through.
Scramble the eggs. Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the butter to the skillet with the onion and chile. Once the butter melts, pour in the egg mixture. Cook over medium-low heat, gently folding with a spatula every 30 seconds, until the eggs are just set but still slightly glossy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Return the sausage to the pan and fold to combine.
Build the tacos. Divide the egg and sausage mixture evenly among the warm tortillas. Top each with shredded cheese, a sprinkle of fresh cilantro, and a dash of hot sauce or a spoonful of salsa.
Serve immediately. Squeeze a lime wedge over each taco just before eating. Serve with extra salsa on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Favorite Breakfast Tacos — A Little Las Cruces in the Denver Morning